What's Real Pain?
by odalys-ortiz
Summary: Carter begins to wonder how much trouble Reese goes through to protect the POIs after he ended up in the hospital. Takes place during and after Matsya Nyaya. Carter/Reese pairing as always cause I don't know any better.


Disclaimer: Not mine even though I wish it was. This property belongs to CBS, J.J. Abrams, and Johnathan Nolan. Enjoy^^

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What's Real Pain

The sirens were blaring through the streets of New York as Detective Carter put the petal to the metal. She had heard the call from the dispatcher about a robbery of an armored truck and that there were two victims at the scene. At first she ignored the call, figuring that it didn't warrant a homicide detective on the scene. There was a request for an ambulance which meant that the victims were still alive. To what extent was a different story. It was at least until she got a call on the burner phone that Reese had given her in the coffee shop when she had first met and agreed to help him.

At first she figured it was John since he would sometimes call spur of the moment to ask for her help with a current number, whether it be a background check or running license plates. The calls over the pass few weeks increased in frequency though and the topic of conversation between the two of them turned casual on some days. He would call her and just talk about what he was planning on doing that day just out of boredom, but Joss didn't mind.

She could listen to his voice for an eternity. A small smile broke out on her face and she couldn't help but pick up the phone. To her dismay, it wasn't John but his partner Finch, who seemed to be in a sort of panic state by the sound of his frantic voice. After getting him to calm down, he finally told her. "I've been trying to get in touch with our mutual friend, but he's not answering his phone. He was on a job with some men in an armored truck when it got robbed and I think he was ambushed. I tracked the GPS of his phone to the hospital."

Joss wasted no time. She grabbed her jacket and her keys, informing Finch that she would be on her way there. She couldn't help but feel a bit anxious for a different reason. It was a rare occasion when John had been injured to the point of having to be hospitalized. One of them being because of her and her involvement with Mark. For some reason, he never expressed anger towards her decision.

It seemed like he understood the position she was in and didn't blame her for the choice she made. Now he was in a similar scenario and here she was rushing to make sure he was okay. Her heart was thumping so loud that she almost couldn't hear the sirens. After running through multiple red lights and almost getting into accidents left and right because of deaf morons, she finally made it to the hospital.

She could see multiple cruisers from other precincts so she would have to play it cool when she went inside. She had to get John out of the officers' sight and fast. She got out of her car and walked through the sliding doors to the front receptionist. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a badge.

"Detective Carter, homicide, I'm here to find the two victims that were brought here after they were attacked during a robbery of an armored truck." The woman looked through the computer registry and then pointed Joss down the hall.

"Just head straight down there and take a right. One of the men was in serious condition and they weren't sure if he's going to make it." Joss managed to thank her and go towards the clinic. Along the way, she could see the officers standing around, possibly wanting to interview the men once the doctors were finished patching them up. When she finally reached the clinic area, Joss saw the chaos as doctors and nurses were gathering around one of the beds.

Her view was obstructed a bit by the structural pillar so she couldn't identify the person. Looking around, she could make out the other bed that was occupied close by. Just as she was about to approach, the man began to move, probably waking up from some sort of drug they gave him. When he finally sat up, she felt an overwhelming sense of relief when she saw that it was John, who looked a bit worse for ware.

Just ahead of him, she could see another police officer. She would have to be careful not to draw attention to herself as she walked by him with only a glance and a nod, indicating that she would take care of whatever he was there to do. Just as John managed to sit up, she placed her hand on his shoulder. "Looks like you could use some help." His eyes trailed up and met hers with a slight expression of shock. After a moment he visibly relaxed a bit.

John reached up to grip her arm and she noticed that he was weaker then she expected. Grabbing the blanket behind him, she wrapped it and her arm around him to help him walk out of there before anyone noticed anything suspicious. She felt his legs give way slightly after only a few centimeters and she strengthened her grip.

"Come on, hold on to me" she asked. The slight pressure around her waist caused a smile smile to appear on her face as she did her best to avoid the bloodstain on his back where the injury looked to be.

It felt a bit surreal as she carried him away from everything to find some privacy to talk about what happened. He was always the one putting the bad guys in the hospital and now he was in the same position. Getting him to sit a ways away, she left him to find some water. Along the way, she managed to stop a doctor and was told how serious his condition was.

She couldn't help but feel the flutter of concern rise up again because of the circumstances. If the vest hadn't stopped the bullet, he would have died without a doubt. She came back and gave him the water, reciting what the doctor had told her. After reassuring Finch that he was alright, John was already on the move to find Tommy and the platinum that he stole.

Joss couldn't help but wish that he would ask for her help now. It seems like when he least expects it, she happens to show up. It's almost like he didn't think that she cared enough to help him without being asked. With a sigh, all Joss could do was head back to the station and wait for any follow up leads. Hopefully John's friend will tell her what he's doing before something else went wrong.

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Joss soon found herself opening the door to her house after quite a bit of time writing up a report on another incident. She got a call from a fellow officer that the guy that was involved in the armor truck robber earlier was found dead with a woman who was more then likely an accomplice of his. Some of the facts didn't really fit and it bothered Joss, but for now another department would handle it since it involved the stolen platinum from the robbery.

She was lucky enough to get out of the office before she would have to pull another all-nighter. She just wasn't in the mood to do mountains of paperwork. Regardless, she had Taylor stay over at his grandmother's house so she could have some time to herself. Now she was a bit more cautious with him after the incident with Elias and was sure to have a way to reach him no matter where he was. Taking off her coat and putting it on the nearby hanger, she stretched all the kinks from her back and went to the kitchen to find something to eat.

Near the threshold, she took off her shoes and padded around the hardwood floor in her bare feet. Looking inside the fridge, she scanned the different shelves of food. Deciding on nothing fancy, she began making herself a sandwich. Before she could get started however, there was a knock on her door, which didn't please her. She dreaded the thought that she would have to go back on the field on an emergency call.

She always treasured her time at home. Looking through the peephole, she couldn't see anyone there. Out of curiosity, she unbolted the door. When she opened it, the empty air was replaced with her own personal pain in the ass vigilante who once again looked like he had been fighting for his life.

"John, what the heck are you doing here this time?" She couldn't help but be surprised. It was rare that he would pay her a visit at her own house, but to have two in the same week was quite a surprise.

"I was just wondering if I could borrow some ice Detective." Upon closer examination, Joss noticed the bruises on his cheeks and the bloody nose. Without hesitation, she grabbed his arm and dragged him through the door and to the kitchen.

"What the hell is wrong with you? You just got out of the hospital from being shot and you are still getting into trouble." She sat him down at an empty stool and grabbed a sink towel. "Well I did have to stop Tommy from getting away with murder and the platinum." He watched as she put a few ice cubes in the towel and wrapped it up.

"I heard about what happened to him and his girl. Want to tell me what really happened?" John gave that mischievous smirk that she had become accustomed too.

"I think maybe another time when I'm in a better mood."

"Fine" she uttered in frustration at his little games. Knowing that she would not get anywhere with him, Joss just sighed and walked up to him. "You really are reckless, you know that" She commented as she moved close enough to him to apply the towel to his cheek.

The small hiss that he let out was something that Joss definitely was not accustomed to hearing from John Reese. Moving her hand to allow him to hold the towel himself, Joss made out something peeking from under his shirt. "What if something happens to you?" she asked suddenly.

"What are you talking about?" She went around and took a seat across from him.

"I'm talking about you running around thinking you are invincible or something when you are not John." He took the cloth that was now beginning to soak with water away from his face and then turned his attention to his back where the large bandage still was.

"It's not like it won't heal Detective." Joss shook her head in disbelief at his nonchalant attitude towards the subject.

"It's just that you do all of this to protect complete strangers, but don't you ever think about what would happen if you weren't able to save them anymore." John's face never gave way to his thoughts so Joss couldn't tell what was going on inside that head of his. Looks like her interrogation skills wouldn't be of any use this time.

"The only way I'm going to stop doing this is if I'm dead Carter," the dreading topic hovering in the air.

"Probably by the hands of Snow like what I almost did to you." The sigh that he let out was the last thing she expected.

"Joss…I told you that it wasn't your fault. He just tricked you like he does anyone that can get him what he wants." The rare occasion when he would use her first name was when he was serious about what he was telling her. She needed to know that he had sincerely forgiven her.

"I sure as heck feel responsible. He is still worrying me with the threats that he made."

"If he comes near you again, I'll stop him myself." A small smile pulled at her lips.

"You don't have to go that far. I appreciate the gesture, but you should worry about trying to take it easy because I did see that you were still wearing the bandage which means that the wound hasn't healed completely yet." He took a finger and pointed it towards the spot.

"Work waits for no wound."

"Yes it could. John…" She rose from her seat and stood in front of him. She felt herself involuntarily fiddling her fingers in an attempt to figure out what to say. "If you're gone, things would go back to the way they use to be. Before you came along, I had to deal with a dead kid almost every other week. Do you know what that does to someone?" she snorted at the already answered question. "What am I saying, of course you do."

She tried to calm her nerves down, pushing her hands to the side as she continued to talk. "I chose to be a homicide detective, but it's never easy to see someone shot down in the prime of their life. After you showed up on the scenes, things have been a bit easier on me." She gave him another small, soft smile. "Instead of heading down to the morgue to have people identify bodies, I'm just at my desk filing reports on what went down. I can't tell you how relieved I am that I don't see that kind of madness as much as I used to. I just wanted to let you know that I really appreciate what you do and making it not so painful to go to work John."

He watched her movements carefully. She made the slightly advance, almost like she wanted to embrace him or maybe that was just his imagination. In the end, it finally sparked in his head that she was right. Why ruin a good thing now? "How about I make a deal with you?" Joss' ears perked up at the upcoming proposal. "I'll try to give myself time to heal but I can't promise you anything."

"I'm okay with just that John. I only want you to take better care of yourself." He gave her that playful smile as the banging in his head began to die down. "Well with a nurse like you, I might not be so careful." Joss rolled her eyes while letting out a laugh.

"Very funny, give me that." She took the towel back to the sink to rinse it out. "Is your head still hurting?"

"Not really, thanks for inviting me in. I wasn't sure if you were busy."

She left the towel off to the side and reach inside the fridge to get two beers. "I just got back from reporting on the scene with Tommy and his accomplice."

He took the open beer gratefully as he began to fill in the gaps. "It was his girlfriend. He was going to run off with her but she ended up getting greedy and stabbing him in the back."

"So that would make Tommy the criminal and victim. That's a new one" she commented as she chugged her drink. "That still doesn't explain what happened to you. Did Tommy somehow manage to get the upper hand on you."

"Not exactly" he said before drinking his own beer. He thought it over in his head to tell her the truth. He decided against it for now because he would have to involve Fusco.

"You're not going to tell me everything, are you?" He just answered with a smile. "Unbelievable" she stated with an exasperated tone. Her focus went back to the bandage again, unable to really believe that he would take it easy.

"You worry like a mom Carter" he said, noticing her peeking again.

"I guess it's in my nature. You are a bit too reckless for your own good. You are lucky that I'm even looking the other way with all the stupid stunts that you pull."

"I can't help it. New York would be a bit dull if I didn't make up my own rules."

"That may be the case, but you promised that you would try to relax."

He held up the beer. "I've already started. Nice to know that I gave you something to do. Where's Taylor?"

"I sent him off with my mother again. I seem to be doing that a lot when it comes to this job. I wonder sometimes if I can still be a good mother."

"Oh please Carter, you raised that boy better then most kids I run into. Don't stress on it so much if he understands your job."

"He does. I feel like I have to keep reminding him that it's because of work that I can't spend time with him." She just held the half drunk beer, wondering why they were suddenly having a casual conversation.

"He's a good kid Carter. You did a great job" he reassured. He never had the opportunity to have kids, but after taking care of Leila and watching Carter as a single mother, his perspectives have changed.

"You should come around more. He just can't stop talking about what you did when you saved him" she mentioned, giving him a bit of the evil eye.

"Hey, those guys decided to pick a fight with me. I tried to make sure he didn't see anything."

"But you ended up having a fist fight right in front of him. Nice try."

"What does he say?"

She polished off the rest of her beer and put it behind her on the table. "He wants a few lessons in self defense."

He did the same with his after another huge swig and put it next to hers. "That wouldn't be a problem."

"I would like for my son to not be able to kill his classmate with a needle John. Just teach him the basics okay."

"You would be okay with that?"

She just shrugged her shoulders. "Sure, like I said though, keep it to a minimum. I can barely handle one vigilante, let alone two." This got a chuckle out of him.

"Don't be so worried about it. I would just be teaching him a few basic moves" he explained. He then stood up and fixed his jacket. "I should get out of your hair though since I did say that I would try to rest a bit."

She followed him to the door and held it opened for him. "I would like for you to do that."

"Thanks for patching me up too. See you bright and earlier tomorrow?"

"Of course, get out of here before I give you the boot." She watched him leave before heading back inside. After locking the door again, she quickly foraged through the fridge for the sandwich she had intended to make before being interrupted.

Once she was done and everything settled in her stomach, she felt herself getting drowsy and opted to just get into her mattress and get some sleep. Going to bed, she hopped into the thick folds of the comforter and just got comfortable on top. The air in the apartment was quite warm so she didn't need to bundle up inside. Her eyes drifted close as she silently hoped that John would be able to relax like this too.

She didn't want to see him hurt ever again.

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A/N: This was just a little thing that I was sitting on for a while. I hope that you guys enjoyed this randomness because I'm going crazy here with them being apart for so long. I miss the banter and flirting:(


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